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sustentation

[ suhs-tuhn-tey-shuhn ]
/ ˌsʌs tənˈteɪ ʃən /
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See synonyms for: sustentation / sustentative on Thesaurus.com

noun
maintenance in being or activity; the sustaining of life through vital processes.
provision with means or funds for upkeep.
means of sustaining life; sustenance.
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Origin of sustentation

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin sustentātiōn- (stem of sustentātiō) an upholding, equivalent to sustentāt(us) (past participle of sustentāre, frequentative of sustinēre to sustain) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM sustentation

sus·ten·ta·tion·al, adjectivesus·ten·ta·tive [suhs-tuhn-tey-tiv, suh-sten-tuh-tiv], /ˈsʌs tənˌteɪ tɪv, səˈstɛn tə tɪv/, adjectiveself-sus·ten·ta·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sustentation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sustentation

sustentation
/ (ˌsʌstɛnˈteɪʃən) /

noun
a less common word for sustenance

Word Origin for sustentation

C14: from Latin sustentātio, from sustentāre, frequentative of sustinēre to sustain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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